When Is It Time to Replace Your Gutters?

You already know you need to clean your gutters at least twice a year if you want to protect your home from expensive water damage. But when do you need to start thinking about replacing the gutters instead?

There are four signs you need to watch out for.

Your gutters are pulling or sagging.

Gutters cannot do their job if they’re not flush with the fascia. If you see them pulling away from your home or sagging then they’re not doing a good job of helping your home to shed water.

Of course, we don’t really recommend waiting until your gutters look like they’re about to fall on your head in order to make a replacement. Every now and then you should take the time to walk around the perimeter of your house and really look at your gutters. You might see some gaps between the gutter and the fascia if you do–gaps which won’t be readily apparent at a casual glance.

Catch these early enough and we might be able to help you re-hang and refasten your gutters, without forcing you to rip them off the home altogether. Gutter repair is one of the services we offer here in the Tampa metro area, so don’t hesitate to ask us for a free estimate if you see this problem.

You see big dents in your gutters.

Dented gutters are a problem because they restrict the flow of water through the overall system. They also typically have other problems.

Usually, gutters only really get dented when a tree branch or a large piece of hail hits them after a storm. This kind of blunt force trauma can also cause them to start pulling away from the house as previously discussed. At the very least, a dent in your gutters should inspire you to get out there and check.

Obviously a little dent isn’t a huge deal. However, if your gutter is crumpled like a soda can then you probably are going to have to replace that section of the gutter at the very least.

You’ve got holes in your gutters.

Once you get a hole in your gutter the entire system is compromised. The water isn’t going to flow to your downspout, which means it’s not going to get directed away from your home. Instead, it is going to drop wherever the hole is…which means you’re likely to see big puddles of water sitting directly against your foundation.

It’s not even hard to tell if your gutters have a hole in them. Usually you’ll see a sort of “waterfall” effect whenever it rains.

Remember, this doesn’t have to be one big tear in the gutters, either. If you don’t have seamless aluminum gutters then this could mean that any of the dozens of leak points you’ll find in a traditional gutter system has finally begun to shed water in earnest. At that point, you might want to consider the upgrade just so you won’t have to deal with gutter seams any longer.

Your landscape is starting to erode away.

If you’re starting to see channels in your yard which resemble miniature canyons then you’ve got a problem. In fact, you’ve got a very big problem, because this means water is going where it is not meant to go.

The problem is not going to go away on its own. At this point, the only answer is to get your gutters replaced.

Have you seen any of these major problems in your own home? If you live in Clearview, Largo, New Port Richey or anywhere else in the Tampa metro area just give us a call. We’ll give you a free estimate, and we’ll show you just how affordable a new seamless aluminum gutter system can truly be.